Dementia is a medical term that is used to describe a group of brain-related symptoms which all too often affect older people.
Impaired memory, confusion, poor judgment, and difficulty carrying out basic daily activities are some of the most commonly seen.
Where dementia can result from many possible sources, such as stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and head injury,
the most common cause is Alzheimer’s disease, which accounts for 70 to 80 percent of the cases.
There is a common misconception that severe loss of mental functions is a normal part of the aging process.
This false notion is sometimes reflected in the term senile dementia,
which is wrongly used to describe the condition of any elderly person who seems mentally afflicted.
If older people eat right, stay active, and exercise their brains, they can avoid developing a disease that ultimately robs them of their mental capacity.